Two decades ago, Proud WWU alumnus and former Secretary of State Ralph Munro partnered with Western Washington University to establish an Institute dedicated to the proposition that citizens from all backgrounds have a voice and the opportunity to become civically engaged. Today the Ralph Munro Institute for Civic Education does its work through public forums, workshops and otherprograms that bring students, community members and lawmakers together, including the annual Munro Seminar for Civic Education. 
Mr. Munro engaging students in the state capitol
Munro’s investment was prescient, as the need for civic education has never been greater. Increased polarization and declining trust in institutions pose a risk to the core democratic foundations and principles of our state and the country. The Munro Institute seeks to confront this risk head-on through programs that serve not only K-12 education and Western students but also the public at large, whether in Bellingham, the region, or the state writ large.
Over the last two years the Institute has embarked upon an ambitious campaign to raise $100,000 to expand civic education and promote civic engagement and democratic understanding. On this WWU Give Day, we ask you to consider supporting the Institute.
The Munro Institute has continued its work as we emerged from the pandemic, hosting one of the first in-person events that was open to the public last Fall. This year's Munro Seminar, titled "Complex Problems and Cross-Party Solution" highlighted problem-solving across party lines on the thorny issues of housing affordability and substance addiction. We brought together scholars with local government officials and state legislators to identify challenges and discuss promising next steps. For the first time, we held the event in hybrid fashion, broadening our audience to those outside of Bellingham and even Washington State!
This winter, we bought state lawmakers and government staff members together with Western students for a week of conversation in a hybrid "Day on Capitol Hill." Students gathered in person with Sec of State Ralph Munro, State Senator Simon Sefzik and former State Senator/Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville. We then met virtually with state legislators and staff members hard at work in Olympia. Explained one student, "While I do wish more people could have been there in person, due to the pandemic and scheduling that would not have been possible. I liked the fact that people in different political careers could be there to speak to us about their work”
Some programs are planned months in advance. Others emerge quickly, in response to changing conditions and crises around us. This spring, only a week after Russia's invasion of Ukraine the Munro Institute hosted a teach-in to give students and community a deeper understanding of the war's context and underlying dynamics.
The in-person event was attended by more than two hundred participants and live-streamed to an audience of an additional hundred viewers. A vigorous question and answer period followed, extending close to an hour past the original “end” time, as students and community members, including one exchange student from the Ukraine, shared their questions, concerns and experiences.
Finally, this year the Munro Institute has deepened its work in the public school system as part of its Civic Education for the 21st Century initiative. Working closely the League of Women Voters, Whatcom County school districts, and State Leaders in OSPI, Munro Institute leaders have worked to revitalize k-12 civics education to ensure that all Washington students develop the civic capacities and skills they need to flourish as citizens. We are currently at work on a pilot project with Bellingham High Schools to re-vision their high school civics course, and are partnering with OSPI to strengthen state assessments in civics.
Your gift will also support the following new projects:
Voter Information and Candidate Forums: The Munro Institute has partnered with the new Washington State Debate Commission to offer debates throughout Washington for all state-wide and federal offices. In this role, the Institute will help to plan and coordinate debates statewide and will provide Western with an opportunity to host congressional debates as well as debates for candidates running for state-wide office.
Critical Conversations for an Educated Citizenry: Regular teach-ins and student/faculty/community panels to help Western students and the community at large make sense of critical policy challenges and current controversies at the local, state and national level.
Thank you for supporting this important work!
For more information about the Munro Institute and its activities, please visit our FaceBook page or contact Professor Kate Destler, the incoming Munro Institute Director, at Kate.destler@wwu.edu
